Powerless
by Dr Dana Stowe's Sidekick
Summary: Lu helps a weak Dana deal with her emotions. Please R&R.
1. Default Chapter

**Powerless Chapter 1**

**Summary: Dana begins to feel weak and helpless when she's overcome by a torrent of hard-to-manage emotions, but in her quest to understand them, she discovers how valuable her friends really are. This is my first story here, so please R&R.**

**Dana sat on the couch in her office with her head in her hands. Her life was out of control. She regretted breaking up with Nick more than she ever thought possible, but she couldn't fix it. He was barely speaking to her now, and she was afraid she'd only make it worse if she dredged it all up again, since _she'd_ broken up with _him, _not the other way around. She knew it was best for him to make the first move, but at the same time, she knew that if she didn't at least try to fix things, she'd live the rest of her life under a cloud of regret. She wanted to scream. When had her life gotten so complicated?**

**At that moment, she heard a knock on her office door. **

"**Come in." she said as she tried to fight the tears that had suddenly sprung to her eyes. Lu stepped into her office and regarded her partner with a warm smile, which faded immediately when she saw the unshed tears in her eyes. "What's wrong. Dana?" Lu asked gently as she crossed the office and sat down beside her on the couch. "It's my mistake." Dana replied. Her voice was cracking already, so she knew it wouldn't be long before her unshed tears would fall.**

** Lu touched her friend's arm gently. "What is?" she asked softly. "Breaking up with Nick." Dana answered sadly. "All because he wasn't ready to have kids, and because I was so worried that I didn't have time to wait. It was the biggest mistake of my life, Lu, and now I'm afraid I can't fix it." Tears were rolling down Dana's cheeks now. **

**"Oh, Dana, come here." Lu told her friend as she put her arms around her. "What makes you think you can't fix it?" Dana sighed. "Lu, Nick barely talks to me now, and I'd only make it worse if I brought the whole ugly mess up again." she replied. Suddenly, she burst into tears. Lu knew that Dana needed a good cry, so she held her as the tears soaked her lab coat. **


	2. Wanting Strength, but Having None

**Chapter 2: Wanting Strength, But Having None**

**Lu knew that she couldn't abandon Dana now, so she stayed as her tears kept falling. She desperately wanted to soothe her partner, but she didn't know how. She knew she'd have to wing it. "It's okay, Dana." she said softly. "Let it out." Somehow, through all of her tears, Dana began to feel guilty. She didn't know why. Maybe she was feeling guilty because she'd dragged Lu into this. She knew that Lu didn't mind listening, but she couldn't help feeling like a burden. Lu had enough on her plate already. **

**"Lu?" Dana managed to whisper after a few minut**es. **"Yeah?" Lu answered softly. "What would you do if you were in my shoes?" Dana questioned. Lu looked pensive for a moment. "Well, I'd try talking to Nick." she replied. "Think about it, Dana. Things're still pretty rocky with you two, but if you talk to him, maybe you can change that." Dana sighed. "I'd only make it worse, Lu." she said as she wiped her eyes. Lu patted her shoulder. "You don't know that for sure. Don't be so hard on yourself." she encouraged. "I'll help you." Dana smiled. "Thanks, Lu. Can we talk to him now?" she asked. Lu nodded. "Sure." she replied with a smile. "Let's go find him." With that, they left Dana's office to find Nick.**


	3. Talking Things Out

**Chapter 3: Talking Things Out**

**As Lu and Dana walked around looking for Nick, Dana began to lose confidence again. _"What if he turns me away? What if he's avoiding me?" _she worried silently. Lu noticed the faraway look in her eyes and put a hand on her shoulder. "Dana?" she asked gently, but Dana didn't answer her. Instead, she closed her eyes, waiting for the ache in her heart to stop.**

**"Dana?" Lu asked again. She was worried. This wasn't like Dana. She wondered what else was bothering her. She knew that it went much deeper than her breakup with Nick. After a few minutes, Lu **

**began to shake Dana's shoulders gently.**

**Dana opened her eyes quickly. "Lu, why were you shaking me?" she asked. Lu sighed. "You scared me. Dana." she replied. "I was talking to you, and you didn't answer." Dana shook her head. "I'm sorry, Lu." she apologized. "I didn't hear you. My mind was somewhere else." Lu nodded. "Were you thinking about Nick again?" she asked.**

**This time, it was Dana's turn to nod. "I don't think I can do this, Lu." she confided. "I mean, what if he's still bitter about the whole thing?" Lu put a gentle hand on Dana's shoulder as she said this. "You won't know how he feels til you talk to him, Dana." she encouraged. Dana nodded again. "I guess you're right, Lu." she said with a smile. **

**Lu returned her smile. "Good. I'm glad you've got your confidence back, because here he comes." she said as she pointed over Dana's shoulder. She turned quickly. Lu was right. Nick was coming straight toward them. _"Here's your chance, Dana." _she coached herself silently. _"Take it. It's now or never." _ Nick had reached them by then. "Hey, Lu. Hey, Dana." he said brightly. "Hey, Nick." they replied on unison.**

**Dana was nervous, but she knew she had nothing to worry about because Lu was with her. "Nick, we need to talk in my office." she said firmly. "Sure, Dana. What's up?" he asked as they walked toward her office. "You'll find out in a bit." Dana answered mysteriously. When they reached her office, she held the door open for them, and when she'd closed it behind them, Nick asked, "So, Dana, what 'd you wanna see me about?"**

**Dana glanced at Lu, who gave her an encouraging smile. Then, she cleared her throat and focused on Nick, who had taken a seat on her couch. He patted the spot next to him, inviting Dana to sit down. She sat down slowly, clearing her throat again as she turned to face him. "What's bothering you, Dana?" he asked gently. "I feel really bad about what happened between us, Nick." she replied. "It was selfish of me to break up with you just because you weren't ready to have kids."**

**"My feelings for you are still there, strong as ever. I just wish I'd realized that sooner. If I had, it would've saved us both a lotta pain."**

**Nick took Dana's hands suddenly. He looked straight into her icy blue eyes as he said, "I feel the same way, Dana, but I was afraid you didn't. That's why I never said anything." **

**"Nick?" Dana said questioningly. "Yeah?" he answered softly. "Do you think we could, um, try to start fresh?" she asked nervously. He nodded, flashing her one of his most attractive smiles. "I'd love to." he replied, kissing her lightly. **


	4. Duty Calls

**Chapter 4: Duty Calls**

**Dana was silently counting her blessings when her pager went off. She glanced down quickly. "It's the ER." she said as she rose from the couch. "Gotta run." I'll come with you." Nick offered. "You might need a little help." Dana smiled. "Ok, sounds good." she said as they rushed out of her office. Lu smiled, watching them as she headed to Lana's desk to pick up her next patient's file.**

**Dana and Nick rushed to the ER at top speed. "Who paged me?" she called as they burst through the double doors. "I did, Dr. Stowe." replied one of the attending physicians. He motioned to the young girl he was caring for. She was unconscious. "Talk to me." Dana said as she ran over to him.**

** "She has a deep dog bite on her leg, and her parents think she hit her head. They say she fell and hit the coffee table when the dog bit her." Dana nodded as she examined the bite. "I can't see anything. She's lost a lot of blood. Dr. Barnes, I need you to get me six units of A neg stat." "Will do, Dr. Stowe." Dr Barnes said as he rushed out of the ER. "Nick, I need some help here." Dana said calmly. Nick walked around the bed til he was standing directly across from Dana. "What do you need?" he asked. **

**"I need some suction." she replied. "She's bleeding so badly that I can't see the wound." Nick ran over to the supply closet, grabbed the blood suction tube, and ran back over to Dana, who sighed. "What could be taking Dr. Barnes so long?" she asked him as she checked the girl's vitals. "She's losing more blood by the minute."**

**Nick shrugged. "Call out to Lana and ask her to page him for you." he suggested as he suctioned the girl's leg. Dana nodded. "Lana, page Dr. Barnes for me, will you?" she called.**

**"Will do, Dr. Stowe." Lana called back. Dana was worried. Did this girl have time to wait for Dr. Barnes, or would she give up before he got there? **


	5. Dana's Worry Escalates

**Chapter 5: Dana's Worry Escalates**

**Dana stood over the young girl, desperately trying to stop the bleeding from her leg. "Nick, we've got a big problem." she told him as she continued to apply pressure to the wound. "What is it, Dana?" he asked as he came to her side. "This is definitely more than a simple dog bite." Dana replied. "If her parents are telling the truth, she shouldn't be losing this much blood."**

**Nick nodded. "You're right, Dana." he agreed. "This goes much deeper than that. I'll go order a head CT, and I'll try to track down Dr. Barnes on the way." Dana nodded. "Thanks, Nick." she said as he rushed off. "Her heart rate's dropping! I need help!" she called. "Somebody page Lu!" "Lana already paged me." Lu said as she rushed over to where Dana was standing. "Talk to me. What happened?" "Well, Dr. Barnes paged me here, so I don't have all the details, but he says her parents told him that she hit her head on the coffee table after the dog bit her."**

**Lu shook her head. "Dana, your hands're covered with her blood." she said. "There's gotta be more to this story." Dana nodded as Lu grabbed the respirator. "That's what I think, too." she agreed. "Nick's ordering a head CT and trying to find Dr. Barnes. Lu, I asked him to get me six units of A neg twenty minutes ago, and he's still not back."**

**"Well, we'll go talk to Dr. Jackson once we give her a transfusion." Lu assured Dana as she helped her apply pressure to the wound. "He doesn't deserve to work here if he's gonna risk patients' lives like this." "Here's the blood you wanted, Dana." Nick said as he ran over to them. "And the head CT's been ordered. "They can take her as soon as she gets that transfusion." "Thanks, Nick." Dana said as she took the bag. "At least I can depend on you guys." Before Dana could even give the order, Lu had the transfusion line started.**

**"All systems go." she told Dana as she was hanging the blood bag. **

**Dana looked pensive suddenly. "Dr. Barnes told me that her parents told him what happened, so where are they?" she asked Nick and Lu. "Your guess is as good as mine." Lu replied. "Maybe they left her with Dr. Barnes and ran out." "I can't imagine that happening, Lu." Nick said. He was still trying to stop the bleeding as Lu and Dana set up the transfusion. Dana couldn't bear the thought of that either, but she knew that there was definitely more to her young patient's injuries than met the eye.**


	6. Too Many Questions & Too Few Answers

**Chapter 6: Too Many Questions & Too Few Answers**

**A few hours after the young girl's transfusion, Dana was sitting alone on the couch in her office. She was racking her brain, desperate to find the cause of the young girl's serious injuries. She'd just checked on her five minutes ago in ICU, and she seemed to be resting comfortably after her head CT. Dana was glad of this, but the fact that her parents had vanished troubled her greatly. **

**Where were they? Why had they left their critically injured daughter at a time when she needed them most? What had really happened to cause her injuries? These questions were racing through Dana's mind when she heard a knock on her office door. "Come in." she called. Lana stepped into her office, crossed it, and sat down beside her on the couch. "How's that patient you were treating earlier, Dr. Stowe?" she asked quietly.**

**"She seems a little better now that we increased her blood volume." Dana replied. "She's up in ICU, and she's finally getting some rest. I'm still waiting on the results of her head CT." Lana nodded. "Actually, Dr. Stowe, that's why I came in." she said as she handed Dana the results. "Somebody from the lab dropped them off at my desk a couple minutes ago." Dana smiled. "Thanks, Lana." she said. "No problem." Lana said, returning her smile as she stood to go. "Lana, wait." Dana said softly. **

**Lana turned slowly. "What's up, Dr. Stowe?" she asked as she sat down again. "I'm nervous." Dana replied. "Could you stay while I read these results?" Lana nodded again. "Sure." she answered. "Anything you need, Dr. Stowe." Dana smiled again as she opened the envelope that Lana had given her and began reading the results. **

**"That's strange." she said, thinking aloud. Lana cocked her head curiously. "What is?" she asked. "Everything's normal." Dana replied. "That's a good thing, though, right?" Lana questioned. Dana nodded. "Yeah, but I don't see how that's possible, since she was unconscious the whole time Lu and I were transfusing her." she replied. "Looks like you got a puzzler on your hands, Dr. Stowe." Lana said, causing Dana to laugh a little. "You've got that right, Lana." she agreed. "I just wish I could find the solution."**


	7. Things Change

**Chapter** **7: Things Change **

**Lana sat beside Dana, watching her curiously as she tried to figure out why the young girl's head CT was normal. She knew she couldn't give her answers, but at the same time, she knew it helped Dana to know that she had her support. Suddenly, Dana groaned, catching Lana off guard. "Dr. Stowe?" she asked as she put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you OK?" Dana shook her head as she groaned again. "Something's wrong with my stomach, Lana. Get Lu for me." she instructed calmly. "I can't leave you in here alone, Dr. Stowe, not when you're in this much pain." Lana said.**

**"I'll get Dr. Biancavilla for you, then I'll get Lu."** ** Dana nodded. "He's right outside." she replied simply. "He's gonna drive me home." Lana shook her head. "I don't think you're gonna be goin' home tonight, Dr. Stowe." she said with a regretful nod, but as she was heading toward the door, Dana's voice stopped her. "Lana?" she asked quietly. Lana turned quickly. "What's up, Dr. Stowe?" she questioned. Dana smiled. "Lana, you're helping me out a lot here, so don't you think it's time you called me Dana?" she asked. **

**"Can I?" Lana questioned. Dana nodded. "Yeah, you can." she replied. Lana smiled at her colleague as she opened her office door. "We need help." she called calmly to Nick, who, just as Dana had said, was standing right outside the office. "Dana's havin' some stomach pains, and I'm on my way to get Lu. You seen her?"**

**Nick nodded. "She's up in the neonatal nursery checking on a set of preemie twins she just delivered." he replied. **

**Lana nodded as she rushed off. When she'd disappeared from view, Nick went in to sit with Dana. "What happened?" he asked her as he sat dpwn beside her on the couch. "I don't know." she answered. "One minute, I was reading the results of that head CT you ordered earlier, and the next thing I knew, I was having these really bad stomach pains. It hit me really fast." Nick took her hand. "It's okay, Dana." he soothed. "I just saw Lana, and she was on her way to get Lu when I came in." Dana nodded as she closed her eyes and rested her head on Nick's shoulder, hoping that Lana and Lu could get back before the pain got much worse. **


	8. The Good News

**Chapter 8: The Good News**

**Nick sat on Dana's couch, holding her close as she kept groaning. "It's OK, Dana." he soothed. "Lu and Lana- they'll be back any minute." Dana wanted to believe him, but by the looks of things, she knew that it might be awhile. "It hurts, Nick." she said, struggling to speak through the overwhelming pain. Nick nodded. "I know." he sympathized. "Lu's gonna figure out what's wrong. It'll be OK."**

** Just then, Lu and Lana rushed into the office. "What happened, Dana?" Lu asked as she crossed to the couch. Dana shook her head helplessly. "I have no idea." she replied. "I was fine a few minutes ago, and then, all of a sudden, I started having these terrible stomach pains." Lu nodded. "OK. Well, let's run an abdominal ultrasound and go from there." she told her partner. "Can you walk, do ya think?" Dana winced and shook her head. "It's not a good idea." she answered.**

**"Don't worry, Dana." Nick assured her. "I'll carry you down there. You won't have to take a step." Dana flashed him a grateful smile as he picked her up gently, cradling her in his arms as he walked out of the office. Lu and Lana followed closely behind them. When they reached the ultrasound room, he laid her down slowly, taking her hand as Lu grabbed the wand. Dana let out a nervous breath as she set up the monitor, so Nick gave her hand a comforting squeeze.**

**"OK, let's see what we got." Lu said as she rubbed the gel on Dana's stomach. After a few minutes, an image appeared on the monitor that caused the three of them to gasp. "Is that what I think it is?" Dana asked in a whisper. Lu smiled broadly and nodded. "Yep, it's a baby, all right." she replied happily. "In fact, I think it's two. One's hiding behind the other one."**

**Nick and Dana gasped. "Twins?" they asked in unison, not believing their ears. Lu nodded again. "Yeah, twins." she replied as she gave Dana a quick hug. "And judging from their size, I'm guessin' you're about three months along." Dana couldn't believe it was finally happening. She was pregnant after all this time. Suddenly, she turned to face Nick. Lu took this as her cue to leave, and when the door had closed behind her, Dana tried to speak, but she couldn't find the words to express the joy she was feeling, so she sat up and moved into his arms. He held her close, and they sat together in silence for awhile, absorbing the good news that Lu had given them. **


	9. The Wait Is Over

**Chapter 9: The Wait Is Over**

**Six months had passed since Lu had informed Dana of her much-wanted pregnancy, and she couldn't be happier. Her life was about to change for the better, and she knew Nick was there for her every step of the way. On her last checkup, Lu had told them that their babies could come any day, so Dana was taking it easy. She was resting on the couch at home one morning when Nick came into the living room.**

**"Hey, Dana." he said brightly. Dana smiled. "Won't they miss you at the clinic, Nick?" she asked as she rubbed her swollen stomach. He shook his head. "It's ok." he replied as he sat down beside her. "Lu and Kayla are covering for us." Dana gasped suddenly. "What's wrong?" Nick asked, concerned. "Is it time?" Dana shook her head. "No, it's just that one of the babies kicked and caught me off guard." she replied. "That's all."**

**Nick nodded. "Dana, would you...?" he started, but his voice trailed off. "Would I what?" Dana asked, taking his hands as she waited for him to continue. Before he could, though, she realized that her water had broken. "Nick, I think it's time." she said calmly. "My bag's already in the car, so we can go." Nick nodded as he helped Dana off the couch and out to the car. She climbed in, and he started the engine.**

**When they reached the ER, Lu was there waiting for them. "I had a feeling today might be the day." she said as they rushed in. "Well, as usual, you were dead-on, Lu." Dana panted. "They're only three minutes apart now, and they're getting a lot stronger." Lu nodded. **

**"Ok, on my count. 1, 2, and." she instructed as Nick helped her lift a very weak Dana onto a bed. "It's ok, Dana." he soothed as he took her hand. "The first baby's crowning." Lu told them quickly. "Already? That was fast." Dana said, her voice pulsating a bit on the last word as she breathed through a particularly painful contraction. "Ok, Dana, you can push now." Lu encouraged. Dana sucked in her breath and squeezed Nick's hand as she pushed. Seconds later, they heard their firstborn draw it's first breath. "It's a girl!" Lu announced excitedly as she handed her to Nick. **

**"Oh, here comes the second baby. Push!" Dana mustered up all of her strength and pushed with all her might, and soon, they heard the second baby's shrill cry. "It's another girl!" Lu told them as she took the girls over to be cleaned up.**

**Does anybody have ideas for names? All suggestions are welcome.**


End file.
